Case law service expands with New Zealand partnership

Case law service expands with New Zealand partnership
Case law research platform Justis is expanding its international coverage to include New Zealand.

Justis already has a vast library of case law and legislation from 40 countries including Australia and the UK and will be enhanced by the new collaboration with The Law report, which has more than 4,600 important cases in its database from 2010 onwards.

“This is the first-time that our technology has been applied to judgments from New Zealand, and it will undoubtedly uncover new insights which we are very excited to see,” commented Masoud Gerami, Managing Director of Justis.

The New Zealand cases will be available on Justis from next month.

A&O loses global competition co-head to Simpson Thacher
The former global co-head of the competition practice at Allen & Overy has joined Simpson Thacher as a partner in Washington.

John Terzaken is a leading antitrust litigator and former US federal prosecutor. His experience in public office and private practice includes experience of several sector groups including financial institutions, pharmaceutical, professional services, manufacturing, energy, shipping, and food & beverage. 

Show your value without cutting fees
Legal consultants The BTI Group has tackled the issue of clients negotiating discounts to lawyers’ fees in a recent webinar.

BTI’s Client Relationship Lab has five ways to show value while establishing the precedent the relationship is going to be built on moving forward—one that doesn't include discounts.

Jennifer Dezso, BTI Principal, says that once you start discounting your rates you are turning your work into a commodity and sending the message that price is more important than the value you bring. “Anyone can beat you on price,” she says.

She also warns that “the more you discount, the more you cheapen your brand” which makes your firm appear less valuable.

But clients may still ask for a discount, so what should you do?

Dezso suggests countering with questions to ascertain if the client is being unreasonable or has a genuine budget constraint. These include revisiting the priorities that the client has set out during your conversation and highlighting how that equates to your pricing.

The tone is key, she says. It should be casual but once you have said your piece, stop talking and let the client respond – “even if it gets a little awkward.”

It’s important to talk about adjusting to the client’s priorities and looking at options rather than cutting fees. Pointing out where service levels will be adjusted to enable lower fees is vital.